Book of the Week - There Lives a Young Girl in Me Who Will Not Die by Tove Ditlevsen

Reviewed by our very own Franca

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“Tove Ditlevsen remains, to this day, one of Denmark’s most profound and impactful writers. Her raw and honest writing has moved generations of readers and will hopefully continue to do so for years to come.

As a young woman, I feel incredibly connected to her earlier works. Those where she writes about loneliness, love, loss, and those awkward little in between moments. She reminds me of how far we’ve come and how much work there still is to do. Her words make me feel seen, understood and much less lonely. Ditlevsen had a raw talent, a way with words, which is difficult to describe but easy to appreciate.

I am fortunate enough to be able to read her work in the language it was organically written in (danish) but these translations are equally as beautiful and should not be disregarded.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Patti Smith or Joan Didion or simply has a love for poetry. What a wonderful writer Tove Ditlevsen was.”

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The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Reviewed by bookstore founder and owner herself, Isabella 🌞

“The quiet days following Christmas lend themselves well to a completely immersive read. Time to read an entire book in just a few days, the pinnacle of luxury. With that comes, as we all know, the pressure of finding the right book!

My choice this Christmas turned out to be a book that has had me up at night, feeling emotional, nostalgic, fearful, and hopeful all at once.

The Lion Women of Tehran is the story of two young girls from different parts of Iranian society, their friendship and struggles through the turbulent history of Iran from 1950 to today.

The fight for women’s rights, culturally and politically, is at the center of this easily read historical novel full of betrayal, redemption, and with a cast of carefully woven characters, including the city of Tehran itself, that all play important roles in charting the dramatic paths drawn by the revolution.

I left Iran as a 10 year old girl just before the revolution of 1979, so my memories of the country (and city of Tehran) are frozen in time full of longing and nostalgia, and, years later, also full of questions about the life we lived, the society we lived in, and the atrocities committed under the Shah, and since under the Islamic Republic. So the book hit home in many ways, especially through its use of Persian words and phrases sprinkled throughout.

But Iran and Iranians are so much more than their politics. They are warm, funny, passionate (dramatic:) people who serve amazing food, and create beautiful art set against the backdrop of a 3000 year old history.

Iranian women are fierce - fiercely loyal and fiercely loving - and not to be messed with. This truth is not only at the heart of ‘The Lion Women of Tehran’, but also visible every single day, through the incredibly brave actions of women on the streets and in the prisons of Iran.

The recent fall of the Syrian regime left more than a few Iranians thinking ‘If only that could happen in Iran’ after almost 50 years of fundamentalist rule. The fate of Syria is still unclear, but at least they now have real hope.

Here’s to a 2025 with real hope for Iran 🇮🇷”

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All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Brinkley

Reviewed by Jonas Amir Smith

“Patrick Bringley’s All the Beauty in the World feels like getting a backstage pass to one of the coolest and most famous museums in the world, The Met.

Bringley leaves his, what some might call comfortable or cushy, job at The New Yorker to become a regular old guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after his brother’s death.

Bringley shares a super personal and genuine look into his life among the art. Throughtout the book I realized how it’s so much more that guarding paintings, or making sure people don’t take photos / touch the artwork. It’s about finding a new way to cope with loss and discovering unexpected beauty in the day-to-day, and while it might not work for everybody, you see first hand how it works for him.

Through Bringley’s eyes, you get to experience the quiet magic of the Met. From the grandeur of the ancient sculptures to the secret corners most visitors miss, his stories are like snaphots of moments that make you think and feel, whether he is describing what seems to be a simple and slow day of watching over a gallery, or the constant reflection on how art connects us all.

The book blends the richness of this colorful world with deep, relatable life lessons. I think the reason why I connected with this book a lot is because it tells the story that many of us have felt where we have wandered through a museum and felt a kind of peaceful awe. It is a heartfelt tribute to finding peace, comfort and inspiration in the most unexpected places.”

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Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

Brilliantly and thoughtfully reviewed by our very own Catalina. It is clear that the book made a lasting impression.

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“In Crooked Plow, Itamar Vieira Junior delivers a powerful narrative that intertwines the wisdom of farmers deeply connected to their land with a stark portrayal of ongoing structural violence and injustice.

Set in rural Brazil, the story follows a community of tenant farmers whose lives are shaped by exploitation and the remnants of slavery under new guises.

Vieira Junior’s prose is evocative, capturing the essence of survival amidst a hostile landscape plagued by drought and violence. We witness the resilience and indignation of a community tethered to the land yet yearning for freedom and justice.

Over generations, the workers’ consciousness and desire for freedom grow, shaping new relations within the community and creating new conflicts between owners and tenants.

The author skillfully navigates themes of labor, ownership, and the enduring legacy of oppression. It reminds us that some injustices ‘travel across time.’

All in all, the storytelling in this book gripped me so intensely I couldn’t put it down. I was captivated by the author’s exploration of human resilience and the intricate dynamics of justice, vividly portraying life under the oppressive yoke of exploitative landowners.

Beyond its literary brilliance, this book is a powerful catalyst for reflection on crucial contemporary issues: justice, power dynamics, and the essence of true freedom.”

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